The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Western Visayas has successfully distributed a total of P147.27 million worth of food and non-food items to families affected by various calamities across the region from January 1 to June 20.
According to Erlyn L. Garcia, chief of the DSWD 6 Disaster Risk Management Division, the majority of the assistance was directed to families impacted by the El Niño phenomenon and the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental.
Garcia noted that these events required a substantial response to address the immediate needs of the affected populations.
Data from DSWD 6 reveal that 204,071 family food packs, valued at P138.65 million, were distributed to families suffering from the effects of El Niño. Additionally, 3,334 food packs worth P2.07 million were provided to those affected by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
The remaining assistance was allocated to families affected by armed conflicts, fires, and oil spills.
In addition to food items, the agency distributed 3,606 non-food items valued at P5.77 million. Of these, P4 million worth of non-food items were specifically directed to families impacted by the volcanic eruption, highlighting the agency’s comprehensive approach to disaster response.
Garcia also emphasized that there are still ample supplies of food and non-food items stored in DSWD 6 warehouses located in Oton, Iloilo, and Bacolod City, along with prepositioned goods at 24 sites across the region.
“We have sufficient food packs and non-food items. We can request anytime from the National Logistics Resource Management Bureau,” Garcia stated, indicating the region’s preparedness to handle future calamities.
As of the June 19 inventory, DSWD 6 had 80,907 food items valued at P86.8 million, P62.68 million worth of non-food items, and P8.5 million in standby funds.
Overall, the regional office has a total of P161.99 million in standby resources ready to be deployed in the event of a disaster.
